Nobody Should Believe Me - Revisiting Kowalski Part Four: The Aftermath

Episode Date: March 12, 2026

In this final recap episode, we revisit the final months of Maya Kowalski’s sheltering at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital and the tragic events that followed. While the dependency case and abuse investigation continued, tensions within the Kowalski family were escalating. After a difficult court hearing in January 2017, Beata Kowalski died by suicide, leaving behind emails asking others to “take care of Maya”. Following Beata’s death, Maya was eventually released to her father’s custody, where she continued to improve and was able to return to school without further ketamine treatment. In the years that followed, the Kowalski family filed a lawsuit against the hospital that would ultimately lead to a high-profile trial, widespread media coverage, and the Netflix documentary Take Care of Maya. *** Just a note that today’s episode includes mention and description of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help please call 988 or visit 988lifeline.org *** Try out Andrea’s Podcaster Coaching App: https://studio.com/apps/andrea/podcaster Order Andrea’s book The Mother Next Door: Medicine, Deception, and Munchausen by Proxy.  Click here to view our sponsors. Remember that using our codes helps advertisers know you’re listening and helps us keep making the show!   Subscribe on YouTube where we have full episodes and lots of bonus content.  Follow Andrea on Instagram: @andreadunlop Buy Andrea's books here.  For more information and resources on Munchausen by Proxy, please visit MunchausenSupport.com The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children’s MBP Practice Guidelines can be downloaded here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

True Story Media. Just to note that today's episode includes mention and description of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 988 or visit 988 Lifeline.org. Before we get into the final episode of our Kowalski Recap series, I wanted to let you know that our new season is coming out in two weeks. This season is a big one and we'll be releasing it to subscribers in two parts this time, with the first six episodes ready to binge on March 26. So if you're subscribed on Apple or Patreon, those will be there for you. In addition to lots of bonus episodes and the show's complete archive.

For now, on with the show. By early 2017, Maya Kowalski had been sheltered at Johns Hopkins All Children's for three months. Despite considerable efforts, the courts had failed to find a suitable alternative for her care that all could agree on. While it was certainly a difficult time, Maya's health was improving, and she'd been completely weaned off the large doses of opioids and benzodiazepines she'd been receiving. And the allegedly life-saving megadoses of ketamine she'd been receiving were also a thing of the past. The weaning dosages she'd received in her early days at Johns Hopkins would be her last.

Maya had developed warm relationships with a number of bedside nurses and staff. She was particularly close with a nurse called Lisa Rek, who did spa jobs. days with Maya and helped her with her Halloween costume. Maya even nominated Lisa Rec for a Daisy Award, meant to recognize exceptional nursing staff. It was a horrible situation to have a child at the hospital indefinitely, but they tried their best to make it a homey experience. And by this time, Maya was allowed regular visitation from her father and brother, as well as some others, and was also allowed regular supervised video calls with her mother, Biaatta. And despite the tough circumstances, Maya was proving to be an exceptionally resilient kit.

Meanwhile, the criminal investigation was ongoing and the dependency court proceedings carried on in tandem. Then, on January 6, 2017, there was a fateful court hearing. It never made any sense to me why she was denied giving her child that hug. And I can tell you, as we left the courthouse that day, that Biotta was devastated, devastated. And the one thing that I know to this day is none of us can get that hug back now.

That hug is gone. Do you think if she had hugged her, things would have turned out differently? Yes, I do. That's Jack Kowalski's dependency attorney, Deborah Salisbury, and take care of Maya. This story was already traumatic for the people who were experiencing it. But it was what happened next that would incite a media frenzy. And while many would go on to weigh in on the meaning of Biada's death, the reality leaves more questions than answers. Fiscally responsible, financial geniuses, monetary magicians. These are things people say about drivers who switch their car insurance to Progressive and save hundreds.

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Maya has become so weak, the CRPS has developed to the point where she can't sit up straight. This depiction contradicts photos, videos, and staff accounts of Maya's condition at Johns Hopkins. One video from December of 2016 that was played at trial shows Maya smiling and playing the piano. As for Maya's alleged CRPS lesions, a photo of one such mark was presented to Dr. Gatti Revivo, a pediatric pain specialist from Lurie Children's. Here's what he had to say about it. Does that appear to you to be consistent with the type of CRPS lesions you've seen in the past? No.

Why not? Because it isn't. It looks like a scratch. Okay. So why does it look like a scratch to you? Because it does. I mean, it doesn't look like it's CRPS. There's no swelling. There's no edema. It's on the forehead.

As a reminder, Dr. Reviven. has experience with pediatric CRPS patients, and he'd seen Maya for a second opinion in July of 2015 after Johns Hopkins All Children's had diagnosed her with conversion disorder. A diagnosis, Dr. Revivo, independently confirmed. You saw some characteristic CRPS-style skin lesions during your assessment with Maya Kowalski. Do you think that's something that you would have documented in your progress note? Absolutely. Though they were physically separated, Bata continued to fixate on Maya's medical condition. Biazza and Dr. Kirkpatrick email about Maya's quote, life-threatening situation being in the hospital without ketamine, a conversation he

describes in the film. So I warned her in all medical probability that Maya would die a slow, painful death. Bata's notebook includes notes about the many other facilities they're considering transferring Maya to, and she emails Kirkpatrick to ask if a doctor that she'd found, Dr. Pradeep Chopra, would be a good candidate for an independent expert to evaluate Maya CRPS. Kirkpatrick is dismissive of Chopra, taking issue with a reference on his website that ketamine is experimental, and he suggests instead that Biata reach out to a fellow parent of one of his patients, who also happens to be a doctor.

These parents were also falsely accused of Munchausen by proxy, according to Dr. Kirkpatrick, and can testify that ketamine saved their daughter's life. Meanwhile, Biata and Jack's relationship was really starting to fray. You did have plans to have Biata move out, true? Yes, that's true. You had prepared divorce papers? No. It was a legal separation.

On January 6, 2017, Biazza and Jack had another hearing at dependency court. That morning, Biaa emails two clergy members from her church, asking them to pray for Maya to come home. Johns Hopkins, all children's and their attorneys, including Howard Hunter, who would eventually go on to represent them at trial, had been attempting to find a place to transfer Maya that was better suited to help with her suspected diagnosis of conversion disorder. But each option had been dismissed by the parents

who wanted Maya to be released to Jack's custody and to continue her treatment with outpatient rehabilitation therapies, psychological counseling, and notably with Dr. Ashraf Hanna, who had administered the 55 high-dose ketamine infusions that had preceded her arrival at Johns Hopkins. Because the parties were unable to agree on a plan, it was decided that they maintained the status quo while DCF continued their abuse investigation.

Maya was present at court that day as well, but when Biaada asked if she could hug her daughter, Judge Hayworth, who was presiding over the hearing, denied the request. This sounds cruel, and it's a heartbreaking image. But Biaata wasn't allowed contact with Maya during this time. I really don't have a take on whether a brief hug would have put Maya at any additional risk or whether the judge made the right call here. There are nothing but tough calls in a situation like this. Biotta was, by all accounts, extremely distraught after this court hearing.

Here's a phone call between Jack and Deborah Salisbury that was played and take care of Maya. I know this is what happened. I know it's because he turned her down. That killed her all the way home. That's all she talked about. Interestingly, the Netflix film completely leaves out what happened later that day. Here's their edit of a clip from an interview with a police detective after Biaz's death. Did your wife give you any indication that this would happen?

No, but my daughter has an illness, and it's all started from that. Just the disease alone was horrible. But that's not how Jack Kowalski actually answers this question, because there's an entire series of events missing. Here's the clip from his police interview in context. Did your wife give you any indication that this would happen? No, but the night before, I called the police because she was missing. You know, it was unusual for her to be gone. She said she went to CVS or going to CBS.

And she, when I was bottling wine with Kyle, and, you know, I bottled all the wine, I cleaned up and it's like she's still not here. So I did call the police that felt weird. And I looked in my safe. Don't know why I did. My handgun was missing. And then she came back about 12.30 that night. So what time did she leave?

I honestly don't know. If you... I honestly don't. You made a report. Yeah, they came here in Sarasota County. With Sarasota? And then when she came home, I called him again and said she was home. But there was no fighting or anything like that.

She just... And that was most likely because what the judge, you know. According to police reports, the night of January 6th, Biata disappeared around 5 p.m. Jack was concerned that she had taken his gun because it wasn't in the safe where he kept it. On the stand, Jack clarified that he later found the gun in the house and noted that Biata hadn't taken it after all. At the time, however, Jack was worried enough that he called the police. Beata returned home on her own around 1230 a.m. Next morning, I got up.

I took Kyle with to go visit Maya. And she went for a massage and she had a 10 o'clock appointment. Okay. Do you know what that was at? No, I don't. You know, she buys so many, I don't even, it's in Sarasota some morning. And then what time did you guys come back?

We left the hospital around three, so we got back at four. Beata was sleeping in Kyle's room with the door locked. And Kyle goes, I got a little school. driver up above my door. He unlocked anyone in there. He talked to her for a while.

This whole thing, didn't put a string on your marriage? Oh, definitely. Yeah, but we stick together. Gotcha. Okay. So it's not like... No, no, no. No, it affects you.

Later on, Jack would intimate that he was advised by attorneys to pursue a legal separation from Biaa in order for Maya to come home. He claimed that Biaa was 100% compliant with this plan. But Biyada's older brother, Peter, who still lived in Chicago, was under the impression that Jack had served Biata with divorce papers already, and that he meant it. I asked him, is it true that you gave my sister a divorce letter? And after this, he hung up on me. And after what this, I called him, I can give him, I did all the record, I was calling. He doesn't know that actually I was phone on the phone with his lawyer.

Okay? When I was talking to lawyer, I was talking with his lawyer before. because when it was time before the departure from Chicago, so I think we took like 40 minutes with Deborah with his lawyer. Did he ever give her a divorce papers? You just don't know. What it is, my oldest sister said that this was basically multiple instances. He was pressing her. And basically what it is, during the court hearing,

he was out letting her know, he took the caho, and without letting know, he took the caho and they drove, took her suitcases, they actually went to, went to his brother, and Bata was very crying. I told him that I'm standing by her that we have a money. That's going to be a better date, well. As you may recall from the last episode,

Peter had spent time with the family during the shelter order and had tried to help out financially where he could. In his deposition, he also claims he gave the family $10,000 that Biazza insisted Jack would pay back and never did. Peter could see that things were falling apart between the couple and wanted Biazza to know that he would be there. In the days and hours before Biana's death, Peter was becoming increasingly worried about her state of mind, especially after she disappeared for hours on the 6th, possibly with a gun.

And now he couldn't get a hold of Jack. 2026 is turning into my year of giving keynotes, so I'm going to be traveling around a lot, heading to Chicago, Florida, Nashville, San Diego, and who knows where else. So I decided it was time for a little luggage upgrade. So I went where I go for all my high-quality essentials. of course. I'm always finding new categories of things to shop for on quince, and they've added a lot of items to their travel section recently. My brown Italian leather hand-woven tote was a favorite purchase of last year. They also have these very cute quilted totes and duffles and their best-selling hard-shell suitcases in carry-on and checked sizes.

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Quince.com slash believe. And remember that shopping our sponsors is a great way to support the show. 2026 is turning into my year of giving keynotes. So I'm going to be traveling around a lot, heading to Chicago, Florida, Nashville, San Diego, and who knows where else. So I decided it was time for a little luggage upgrade. So I went where I go for all my high quality essentials. Quince, of course. I'm always finding new categories of things to shop for on Quince, and they've added a lot of items to their travel section recently. My brown Italian leather hand-woven tote was a favorite purchase of last year. They also have these very cute quilted totes and duffles and their best-selling hard shell suitcases in carry-on and checked sizes. The set is only $229. True story, I was just perusing

the site in order to write this ad copy. And on a whim, I ended up buying myself the leather jewelry travel case and a leather cross-body phone case and cardholder in Emerald Green. This happens to me almost every time, and honestly, no regrets. So if you are on the go this year, I highly recommend checking out Quince's travel gear. As with everything from Quince, you will be getting the highest quality goods at half the cost because Quince works directly with safe ethical factories and cuts out the middleman. So right now, go to quince.com slash believe for free shipping and 365 day returns. That's a full year to wear it and love it. And you will. Now available in Canada, too. Don't keep settling for clothes and luggage that doesn't last. Go to Q-U-I-N-C-E.com slash believe for free shipping

and 365-day returns. Quince.com slash believe. And remember that shopping our sponsors is a great way to support the show. I was calling all the time. I think when I entered the home was basically after midnight. After midnight.

Do you know who is home? Jack, well, it was strange story. I called Jack several times. Several. I was calling an awful number. He was not in line. I knew. And every morning, early morning,

started like I have no knowledge that at home they had a gun. I had basically my oldest sister told me that or my sister told me that she said him to take the gun away. Okay. And my sister reported to me that he said that the gun was in his brother's house. So when I talked to him the last time yesterday he asked him why the gun is here?

Because you told my oldest sister that the gun is with your brother. He said, I brought it for security. And after I asked him, is it true that you gave my sister divorce letter? He disconnected. Well, he said he has to take you of the coyote. And I called him several maybe 20 times. This is what time did you come when he hanged up on you?

It was yesterday early morning. Okay. Yes. So after this, my oldest sister called me, and we decided immediately I raised something going on. and I decided about noon time I'll be flying at 525 from Chicago. This was the flight available. We both were flying, but only one place was available.

So we make a decision that I'm flying first. I'm renting the car. And I'm supposed to pick her up today about noon. While Peter was scrambling to get to his sister, Jack was preparing to go out for the night with Kyle. Here he is and take care of Maya. That day, we're supposed to go to a neighbors for a... birthday party, a kid's birthday party. She goes, let me get up and wrap the present.

I'm not going to go, but I'm going to sleep. I got a migraine headache. According to the police report, when Jack and Kyle left the house at around 5 p.m., Biotta was on a face time with Maya. Kyle and I went to that party. And when we came home, her bedroom door was shut. We thought she was asleep. so we decided to sit down, watch some TV.

Kyle fell asleep on the couch watching television, and Jack went to bed. No one checked in on Biaata. We were there. I could be wrong, maybe 9, like 30 or so. Okay. And the door was closed again, so we didn't bother her. Okay.

Was it closed or locked? Do you know? I don't know. I don't know. Okay, that's funny. Then Jack woke up a few hours later. And I didn't even. even though he was coming.

You know, it was somebody who's banging on the door and ringing the bell and I heard a voice and I didn't know who it was. What time was that? It was after midnight. I honestly don't even know what time he could tell you. Okay, so he came in. Where did he sleep?

Obviously, he said he slept in Kyle's bed. When we got back home, we watched some home shows and then we were on the couch. And I can't sleep on those things. You just stick to him. So what time do you think you went to bed? Oh, it had to be about 10 or 11, maybe 11. And the next thing, you weren't opened up by your brother-in-law?

Not going to, I ring in the bell. Did you guys stay up or you just... No, no, I opened the door. I was in my underwear. I just opened the door and went back. All right. Peter had finally made it to their house and arrived to find all of the lights off,

which he found strange, as they usually kept them on. The door opened up. After I call Yacek opened the door, after I call security compounding because he did not open the door. And I call him 100 times. Okay, so he finally comes to the door. Yes, I basically flipped the lights in the end of the headlights up. I illuminated the entire house. I was very surprised, very surprised, the house totally dead, totally dark.

So like something very strange. Normally in the house was always illuminated outside the light. I'm coming there with no light. Okay. After ringing the bell for a couple of times, I have a security code to open garage door, but I didn't want to basically in Africa everybody. So I called the security company,

and the security company gave me the instructions how to disable the alarm, if the alarm goes off. So I'm keeping the numbers, and I'm pressing, and then Jack opened the doors. Gotcha. Because it was very cold, and I realized that I was going to sleep in the car eventually. Okay. So what did he say to you?

He says, I was going to say, I was asking for Beata. We did not discuss much. After Jack's brief reception, Peter went to find Biaada. First of all, I started looking for Beata. And, you know, first thing, where is Beata? I don't know if he, I cannot say that he told me that he was on the couch, but on the couch, I found, I thought first that it was Beata.

So I tried to touch her, but it was Cairo. And asking, where is your mother? Where is your mommy? He said that he sleeps in his room. So I went to the Maya room because I was slept the last time. It was full of packages. And I went to his rooms. Basically, she was not there because I was driving, you know, driving, you know.

And I get up usually at 4 a.m. And I did not sleep in that place. So she was up. So basically I follow up immediately. And basically, early morning. What happened is I checked the security alarm and I was looking for back. Well, Kaya was there. I realized that basically, I thought.

But maybe she is in his Jack sleeping in bedrooms. I opened the door. The door was actually open. No, door was open. And I look for him, only one thing or one body was there, one person. Once he realized Biotta wasn't with Jack either, he began to get really worried. Just a heads up, this next section is really difficult to listen to. So I start basically looking, you know, and I brought from my car cooler,

which I had the orange and two apples, which basically I took for the trips. And I was handling going with the second reference. refrigerator. Second refrigerator. And I think this is, when I saw her, it was second times I went there. Because what it is, when I went to garage for the second times, I realized I was like a kind of, you know, what's going on? Basically like a Halloween decoration was hanging for me. And I said, well, they try, I first of all, I thought they're trying to entertain the kid, but I tried to push it, both with hard body. And I realized it was the injections, you know, that people get it.

And that basically I start to him and I touched her. She was cold. The next moments are captured in an excruciating 911 call that was played in the film and in court. 911, tell me exactly what happened. She hung herself in the garage. Stay on the line. Biotta Kowalski was 42 years old

when she died on January 7, 2016, leaving behind her 9-year-old son Kyle and her daughter Maya, who had just turned 11 years old. Jack's brother Robert lived across the street from the family and recounted on the stand the moment he got the call. January 8th, 2017. Does that date have any significance to you?

Yes, it's my 50th birthday. Can you describe how you woke up that morning? Jack called me and said, Biazza just hung herself and you need to get over here right away. Did you rush over? Yes, immediately. I told my wife, Biotta hung herself,

and I'm going jacked, and I took off across the street. Two emails from Biato were discovered after her death, one of which contained the titular line, Take Care of Maya. But I think the note that Biata laughed for Judge Hayworth makes it pretty clear that she wanted her child to be free from that hospital. She was very worried about what was happening

in the treatment that she was being forced to take. She wanted to make sure that her child got out of there. And she didn't see any other way out. The plaintiff in the film made the case that this note is evidence that Biata's suicide was an act of selfless maternal sacrifice. But as with everything in this case, more context changes things.

There were two emails from Biaada's account discovered after her death, both of which she had sent to herself. One of the emails is addressed to her lawyer, and she asked that it be sent to Judge Hayworth. This is indeed a scathing letter. Bata compares Johns Hopkins' all children's to a Nazi prison camp and blames Judge Hayworth for Maya's decline and her family's precarious finances,

which she notes will soon worsen when they have only one income. She says she hopes her family can hug and kiss Maya soon since Hayworth has denied her parental rights. She asked the judge to make sure that Dr. Farhan Malick, a critical care physician at Johns Hopkins All Children's, and Dr. Sally Smith lose their medical licenses. Next to Biada's body, there was a cell phone discovered with a post-it note that read Retaliation. Bada's other email is entitled Only Goodbye. She writes, Thank you for all your support. Please take care of Maya and tell her how much I love her every day. Please tell her, I will see her in heaven one day and we will be united forever.

Please also tell Kyle that I love him, and I hope he grows up to be a good man and has a great future. Until then, please take care of Maya, but don't make her suffer anymore. She doesn't deserve that. No child does. And please tell her the truth of why her mom died. She deserves at least that. For one child, Biotta wishes a great future. And for the other, she still speaks of an end to her suffering and a reunion in heaven.

To Jack, Biotta writes nothing at all. and she attempts to leave custody of her children to her older siblings. These emails were sent at 10.59 and 11.12 p.m. respectively. After Jack and Kyle had gotten home from the party, and shortly before her brother Peter arrived from Chicago. Peter and Biazza's older sister Elizabeth was also on her way to town when Biazza's body was discovered. And later on, after Biatas's death in time of two hours,

my older sister, Oshbieta, who came in, we wanted to ask Jack about that document. Jack took Kyle out of the house, and a few minutes later, his brother, Robin, came, the one who was with Jack in court. He came with his wife of girlfriend. I don't know what relationship they have. That woman that came with Robin,

the brother, Jack's brother, brother, he pulled a harshly pillow from underneath my sister's head, and they told us to get out of the house. I thought they were joking. Elizabeth corroborated these immense in her deposition, saying that Robert's wife, or potentially his girlfriend, it's unclear, actually yanked the pillow out from under her head and demanded that they leave the house, and things only escalated from there. Peter brings up questions of money a number of times, and things between him and Jack had obviously curdled. During his cross-examination of Peter, Gregory Anderson, lead attorney for Jack Kowalski, posits a theory about why Jack was acting so coldly towards Peter and Elizabeth, mere hours after the tragic loss of their sister.

Could it just have been that Jack wanted to be alone to grieve his loss? But Peter's not really having it, and he has questions about everything. I found my sister, which was very disturbing. And I had several questions and doubts to the investigators. And also I had questions to the letter. This is from the examiner. Understood. And what were your suspicions?

So, sir, first of all, who turn off the light at home open my arrival? Why Jack was. at home with the kio, with the light being turned off, why Jack was at home with the security system disarmed. Second group of questions was, I found my sister, she had attached medical device. It was not surprised me that she had because in her car, in the trunk, she had a stack of this because she was the infusion nurse.

And after the examiners, sending a letter that in my sister bodies, there was no chemical, no alcohol. The letter, I think you forwarded it to me as well, I started questions. So what it is? Well, it was examiner ever or something else. Well, we'll get to your questions about your suspicions later. But is it fair to say that you had questions about whether Jack Kowalski was involved in your Sister's passing. Four.

So everyone is innocent until proven guilty. And as I said, Jack came to me with his brother and they admitted circuit breakers were off and was strange because Jack is very particular on maintaining the house. He is perfect. And so why he stayed at home without light? The circle breaker was basically in the garage where I find my sister. small business and I have two small children and that means that my husband and I are in a near constant state of decision fatigue. So the simple question of what should we make for dinners this week can lead to existential dread. Thank goodness for HelloFresh. All you have to do is go to

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Chicago, all right? The best of the best stories now with even more from Hulu. Amazing. Have it all with 3-1 Disney Plus. Peter had concerns about the medical examiner's report on his sister's death, which he followed up with him about several times in 2017. He was also troubled by the unusual. usual detail of the circuit breaker being turned off when he arrived at the house.

And this entire event, so, could be recorded on the video. Could be available on video. What do you mean this whole event could be on video? Well, the house is packed with the security camera. And actually, I want to say thank you to the investigator because I was illuminated. The investigator asked if they in the garage were a camera. There were a camera, but of course there was no power. But before the power was to not gov,

all the events should be recorded. Also, the security system, which was part of the American, the AEDT company, which I talked to them as well, it has a backup. So basically in case Hurricane in Venice, there was a backup for a few hours. And in fact, when I woke up early morning,

there was a red light on the panel. But actually, the system was disarmed. So the system was power. Even though, the breaker was. was off. And basically the ADT will not disclose any details until they're going to get requests. And also just for information of going, Mr. Kowalski canceled the contact with the company. I don't know how much is available right now, but based on my discussion with the technicians, it is possibly that's going to be recorded in event that someone entered the garage and after

this the light went off. It's possible. I don't want to speculate, I'm going to. If I'm understanding you correctly, you had some suspicions that there might have been video of what happened in the garage to your sister in January of 2017. That's correct, sir. Okay. And why did you come to conclude that there might have been video? What it is, I spoke with the technicians and ADT, and the technicians provide me that it depends, It depends on options. And in garage, actually, thanks to the detective at the time,

a detective was asked about the video from camera. And Jack said it was not. Of course, there was no because no power. So I guess what I'm asking is, is there video of what happened in the garage or not? And so I cannot answer. Basically, ADT, the company, they hold all the records. And unfortunately, my authority doesn't go so far. It's clear from his deposition that Peter has unanswered questions about Biazza's death,

which was officially ruled a suicide. It's hard to know what to make of any of it. But Jack was specifically compensated in court for the loss of Biaata's companionship and has cast the issues between them as being the fault of those who separated them from Maya. But the testimony from Biaa's siblings and her own words in her suicide notes show a rift that goes much deeper. Despite Biazza's wishes to have her children live with her siblings, Ile and Maya, of course, had a surviving parent. Shortly after Biotta's death, they allowed me to take Maya to go see a specialist in Rhode Island at Dr. Chopra.

He did an evaluation on her, which did confirm that she does have CRPS. And he sent his report to the court. Not too much longer after that, Maya was released to my custody. Dr. Pradeep Chopra, an anesthesiologist and pain management specialist, was the expert Biaada had identified in her previous emails to Dr. Kirkpatrick, and he did evaluate Maya. But it wasn't until she'd already been released to Jack's care, and it certainly wasn't the reason she was released. On January 12th, the court amended the January 6th order that the status quo of Maya being sheltered at Johns Hopkins be maintained. They argued that the mother's death

had profoundly altered the situation at hand. This order notes that DCF in the hospital recommended that Maya be transferred to Nemours for continuous inpatient treatment, but it notes that Jack was now a single parent and had another child to care for, and Nemours was just too far to drive. It also points to the fact that the focus of the abuse investigation was Biata and that her suspected abuse of Maya had led to her being sheltered, and Biata was not a concern any longer. It does authorize Jack to take Maya to see Dr. Chopra for an evaluation, and it also strictly prohibits use of any more ketamine.

The court would continue to oversee all of Maya's medical treatment. Dr. Chopra doesn't appear in the film, but he testified on behalf of the Kowalski's at trial. Dr. Chopra said in court that he reviewed all of Maya's medical records, but he had no memory of seeing any of the concerns about Munchausen by proxy, so it's unclear how thorough this review was. Dr. Topar also has no training in child abuse medicine, and in materials on his own website, he expresses doubt on the diagnosis of Munchausen by proxy. None of this prohibited him from opining on Biata, who he'd never met. Was Munchausen by proxy assigned by Dr. Diggs with Johns Hopkins?

Yes. And did Maya have Munchausen, or did Biaa have Munchausen by proxy? No. Chopra's prognosis for Maya's CRPS, like Dr. Kirkpatrick, was that Maya would be in lifelong pain at best. This contrasts with Dr. Elliot Crane's testimony about the prognosis for childhood CRPS cases, which Crane, having done a substantive review of Maya's records, did not believe that she actually had. Here's Dr. Chopra on the stand. But certainly what you're telling this jury, it sounds like, is, based on her condition the day before all children's,

Maya was going to be sick with crippling pain for a while, correct? She's going to be sick with crippling pain for most of her life. Right, including through her hospitalization at all children's. That's what she thinks. Not because of what all children is because that's her condition. Right. And she did not respond to the chenamine given to her two days before that, and then she had abdominal pain.

And that was the reason she went to all children. Maya showed steady improvement from the time she was sheltered at Johns Hopkins All Children's. Maya's pediatrician Dr. John Woshenauer dismissed the earlier concerns about Munchausen by proxy from specialist Dr. Elvin Mendez, and he testified on behalf of the Kowelskies at trial. Yet, here's Dr. Woshenauer on the stand talking about how Maya was doing after she was released. September of 2017. Okay. Where she improving?

Yes, sir. I made the comment that she was doing markedly better, able to get out of her wheelchair. So, Maya went home with Jack. She went back to school. No more ketamine, no more wheelchair. Her life had been profoundly altered. But she was alive.

In the year that followed Biotta's death, Jack Kowalski met and retained Attorney Gregory Anderson. And in January of 2018, Jack filed his lawsuit against Johns Hopkins All Children's and a number of other defendants. Anderson is a character, to put it mildly. Here's a clip from an interview he did during the trial with a YouTuber named Megan Fox. I just saw in the chat. Bon Bon wants to know, has the YouTube slash cameras in the courtroom made you realize any habits that you have that you didn't know you had?

Well, sometimes if I'm wearing the wrong boxers, I look like I'm picking something out of my butt. Not long after, the Kowalski's story. was picked up by a local journalist at the Sarasota Herald Tribune called Daphne Chen. It was January 2019 when I hit publish on that piece about the Kowalski family, and I kind of thought I'd move on to the next thing. But that was when the call started coming in and the email started coming in, and I realized that this was a lot bigger than just the Kowalski's. Chen's piece entitled, Doctor's Suspicion Tears Apart Venice Family,

begins with this. Maya Kowalski's only problem when she entered Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital was a severe stomachache. By the time the preteen left the St. Petersburg facility three months later, her condition had deteriorated, her family was shattered, and her mother was dead. Under the lead of Dr. Sally Smith, the hospital accused Maya's mother of a bizarre form of child abuse. The allegation triggered a court-ordered separation that isolated Maya from her family and sent the mother into a frenzy. despair. The ordeal illustrates the power that doctors and hospitals have to strip children from their families based on allegations of child abuse and how the state differs to their judgment. Chen's piece was discovered by a young aspiring filmmaker named Caitlin Keating.

And how did you first come across the story? So I was working at People magazine. I was there for almost a decade and I was covering all these crazy human interests and true crime stories. And yeah, and I just like her favorite. Yeah. They're the best, right? And I really wanted to get into documentaries. And like everyone else, I just like binge Netflix films. And I was like, I have to find that perfect story that's bigger than like a cover story in People magazine.

And I read this article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune. This all takes place in the Sarasota, Florida area. And I was like, holy crap. Like I called my mom and I was like, read this story. I think this is my first documentary. And then that's kind of what has. So your first documentary ended up freaking blowing up. Good job. Thanks. And Caitlin similarly positions her work as being bigger than just the Kowalskies. Do you ever do a part two follow-up

documentary? I would love to. Yeah. I haven't really discussed that with Netflix. But I feel like this did really well and it's like, I don't know. It's all happening in real times. Like on my own social media. I'm doing daily updates and people are right. I know it's kind of like, I don't know if I should have. I don't know if I should have. I was like on Facebook. I was like, ask me any questions you have. And now you are the source. Like update me. Or again, like, please help me. Help me. Help me. Help my son get out of jail. All this stuff. I'm like, oh my God. And one woman yesterday was like, I saw you read my message and you didn't respond. Oh dear. Oh, dear. Oh, here we go. So you, um, like what do I become?

Caitlin has said that she heard for more than 100 families in the course of making the film who claim they've been falsely accused of abuse. TBD on a Part 2 from Caitlin, but it's some of those very families Caitlin spoke to that we'll be covering in our upcoming season. I've spent a lot of time wondering if Caitlin Keating understands what she's advocating for. If she understands herself as a mouthpiece of the extreme version of parents' rights that would allow a child in Maya Kowalski's dire situation to be returned

to her parents. She's never responded to my interview requests, but from her comments in this interview, I don't get the sense that she has the best grasp of how child abuse medicine works. Like there are some states now that are like trying to pass laws where like it's a team decision if a child is being abused, right? Because it's like it normally comes down to this profession, this child abuse pediatrician. They have them all over the country who's a pediatrician. and then she or he takes an exam, basically, to now specialize with child abuse. So a kid comes in, and it typically comes down to their decision if this is child abuse or not. But it's like they're not a neurosurgeon.

They're not, you know, it's like, I feel like. Are they even a psychiatrist? No. So I think there's a, I think, and a lot of people think that, like, this, people just need to reexamine this system and how decisions are made. Because, again, it's like you don't want to be wrong and miss it, but you don't want to accuse someone who's innocent. So it will definitely take a team of people to make that decision.

I think so too. I have excellent news for Caitlin Keating on one of her points here, which is that decisions in child abuse cases are made by teams. It does not ever, in fact, come down to just a child abuse pediatrician. These doctors evaluate cases of suspected abuse and make a report about whether or not there is evidence of abuse. That's it. Despite attempts to paint them is all powerful.

Caps do not control the courts, DCF, the police, or anyone. else. Their opinions are, hopefully, taken very seriously because of their extensive training. And the part that's never mentioned is that in more than half of the cases they evaluate, they make the determination that there is not abuse, thus saving innocent parents from being separated from their children. But of course, nobody makes a Netflix film about those stories. But this story, or the version of it that people involved with the lawsuit and the film wanted to make, did make it to Netflix, and it was a big hit. Do you have my downloads it got?

I'm not sure, but tens of millions. I mean, it's done very well. And it's the kind of thing that it's going to be like one of those evergreen. It doesn't, it's, it's, it, you can watch it forever and any time because the story will always be relevant. And where can they see all your updates on the case? Where can we follow you and get your DMs and ask you to help help us? I know, right? It's like, look.

Yeah, guys, guys, guys. We really encourage that now. No, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. I'm posting every day on those. And what's the handle? Instagram is Caitlin S. Keating. Okay. Yeah.

What a cool name. What a cool name. What a cool name. Oh my God. Congratulations on all the success. Yeah. I'm so happy to be talking to you guys. And good for you for taking a chance.

So this was a big win for Keating and her colleagues. And it was initially a big win for Gregory Anderson and Jack Kowalski, who went on to secure a $260 million verdict in court. However, before the verdict could even be overturned, the Kowalskis and their attorneys started feuding. And as of this. recording, Anderson is no longer representing the Kowalskies, and he and his former co-counsel Nick Whitney are suing each other. Anderson Glenn is also being sued by one of the consultants he hired for the trial. And then, of course, in the fall of 2025, the verdict was vacated

in its entirety. Do any of the people who collaborated on this wildly inaccurate version of events actually believe it? Who knows? But as to the quibono of it all, who benefits? Well, that's much easier to answer. In what feels like a very 2026 twist, even if the hospital never has to pay a dime to the Kowalskies, Gregory Anderson and Jack Kowalski are still walking away with millions. Thanks to a no-recourse loan Jack took out for $42.1 million, a total of $12.6 million of which went to Anderson. The Kowalskies have filed a bar complaint against Anderson for securing this loan for them, and indeed it is an ethical violation for a lawyer who's taken a case. on contingency to secure and profit from a loan like this. Contingency is meant to be paid from an

award. Still, it feels more than a little ironic that they're complaining about something that will net them tens of millions of dollars. And that, I strongly suspect, was the point of this whole thing for Jack Kowalski. Not justice, not clearing his estranged dead wife's name, not fighting for other falsely accused families, just plain old cash. So, who pays for all this? other than that unfortunate loan company. Dr. Sally Smith is one person. Her reputation was dragged through the mud and she's been the subject of ongoing harassment.

And then there are all the other child abuse pediatricians around the country facing similar lawsuits and vicious media coverage. Worst of all, there are the many other children whose abuse has gone unreported in the wake of this case as mandated reporters questioned how safe they were to speak up, something Ethan Shapiro has witnessed playing out in the year since the trial.

And, you know, if you are, right, a doctor or a nurse and a child comes into your hospital with unexplained bruises, or a child comes into the hospital with, you know, something that you think may be signs of sexual abuse, but you're not sure. The law requires you to say something in the way the law should work is that is then up to the state a whole separate entity

to decide whether there's any merit to that, right? My client was brought to court with those questions brought in front of a jury, and until that issue is resolved, there's a lot of opening the questions about where immunity starts and finishes. And as long as those questions are open, it's not a chilling effect, it's a freezing effect. And what about Maya and Kyle? I have no idea how their fathers dubiously gained millions have been divided up amongst the family. But the cost Maya and Kyle have paid is astronomical. They've spent their young lives embroiled in this never-ending

legal drama that doesn't look like it will be over anytime soon. Maya appears to be making a go at being an actress in Hollywood, a scary place for any vulnerable young woman, but especially for someone who's already been exploited the way she's been. I don't know what Maya believes about her own story at this point. She left the room during Ethan's closing arguments. It must have been hard to hear. I've walked with survivors as they put the pieces together in adulthood and come to the revelation about the abuse they suffered.

No one should be rushed into it, and certainly no one should have to do so on television. Maya, who was 11 years old when her mom died, never had a real say in any of this. The story of her illness that her mother wrote for her has been perpetuated all these years in service of her father's lawsuit. And Maya has become a figurehead for the conspiracy movement that claims evil child abuse pediatricians are ripping children away from innocent families. If she ever did want to confront the truth, let alone come forward, the simple, the simple, that's been awarded to her as a victim of medical kidnapping would almost certainly curdle into the kind of vitriol this directed at Dr. Sally Smith, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, and to a lesser extent, at me. And like Gypsy Rose Blanchard, Maya doesn't owe anyone anything, not a revelation

or an explanation, or her continued participation in the false narrative laid out in a Netflix film. I wish for Maya what I wish for all abuse survivors, healing, peace and the chance to decide for herself who she wants to be, to write her own story. And to be honest, I feel somewhat conflicted about being yet another person telling this story without her. But the reason I stay on the Kowalski case is that this story, this case, this film, have massive implications for children across the country. And that's all coming up on season seven of Nobody Should Believe Me. And I needed to put it out there that's Sally Smith is, I call her malpractice Sally.

She's a doctor. She's supposed to do no harm. And she has done more harm to so many people, it's my involvement. But we're not going to talk about any other cases. We're just going to talk about mine in particular. Nobody Should Believe Me is executive produced written and hosted by me, Andrea Dunlop. Our co-executive producer is Mariah Gossett. Our editor is Greta Stromquist, research and fact-checking by Aaron Ajai.

Additional research by Jessi. Randall. Our production manager is Nola Carmouche. Music from Blue Dot Sessions, Sound Snap, and Slipstream.